Thread: Crowdsourcing Baby Names Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.


To visit this thread, use this URL:
http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=70;t=027073

---

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
This is a topic of great interest in our family right now with Grandchild #2 on the way in about a month...and I thought that maybe other people might find the responses helpful, too.

Player Yet To Be Named is a girl. We know that. The parents have requested name suggestions that 1)are old-fashioned, and specifically popular at roughly the same time in history as the name Ruby, who is Grandchild #1; 2)are, quote, "assertive" but still girly -- I think "a" and "y"/"ie" endings are favored by DiL; and 3)are not too cumbersome to combine with a hyphenated last name.

All requests appreciated. We've already sent the kids a list of suggestions, but apparently they want a bigger pool to choose from.

And again, for anyone else whose family is expecting, please join in with your name requests.

[ 25. February 2014, 00:17: Message edited by: LutheranChik ]
 

---

Posted by Porridge (# 15405) on :
 
Not sure when Ruby topped the charts, but here's a few old-fashioned, assertive names (though only one with the requested endings):

Sybil

Hazel

Edith

Sidonie
 

---

Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
Emily.
 

---

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
Mildred (Millie) and Marie
 

---

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
DP and I like Hazel; we have a friend with grandchildren named Hazel and Henry, and those were both on our list before we knew the sex of #2. (Henry was also my dad's name.) It might be a hard sell, but I might re-submit it.

Betsy was one we came up with today.

We've also, BTW, mined the entire Downton Abbey dramatis personae list for names, LOL.

Thank you! Keep going!

[ 25. February 2014, 01:59: Message edited by: LutheranChik ]
 

---

Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
Betsy is usually a nickname for Elizabeth, another great name (my daughter's, in fact).
 

---

Posted by BessHiggs (# 15176) on :
 
I will chime in with this. I'm an Elizabeth, but I've always gone by Bess. It's biblical (Elixabeth), historical (Good Queen Bess), and unique enough to be special. And, the name works through time. Baby Bess, Bessie-girl, Miss Bess, Granny Bess...None of them sound silly...
 

---

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
Esme, Sylvia (the best Pankhurst), Claudia, Erica, Jane, Anna/Anne, Joanne/Joanna, Louise/Louisa, Helen/Helena. Susannah/Susanne?

Edwardian names are very fashionable now - mid-century names much less so, and feel rather more solid/less flowery. Certainly they would be the only Jane, Anne or Susan in their class!
 

---

Posted by Alban (# 9047) on :
 
Winifred (Winnie)
Wilhelmina (Billie)

Or they could do what my great great great uncle (a jeweller) did for some of the siblings siblings for his daughter Ruby - Pearl and Diamond (a boy, who my son is named after)
 

---

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :
 
I recently came across Ivy (my mother's name) as a name for a toddler (I forget where). It survives in my bilingual family as Liane (three generations of it in the female line!)

The late Victorians were fond of flower names. In addition to Ivy, they had Daisy, Violet, Lily (who, in adulthood became Lillian). One of my mother's cousins was called Rose (A friend's grand-daughter was named Rosa, but that was after Rosa Luxembourg.) A good friend was baptised Rosita, but she prefers Rose)

Having seen Caissa's post, I second Winnifred.

[ 25. February 2014, 03:36: Message edited by: PeteC ]
 

---

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :
 
my family has a collection of flowers from a similar time period, Pete. Marguerite, Lilly, Pansy, Violet and George.

Marguerite (always pronounced Marguerita) was my great-grandmother.

I'm a huge fan of Ivy and Eve as names. Also (obviously) Marguerite. And Daphne, who was Marguerite's daughter and my much-loved great aunt whom I named my daughter after.

[ 25. February 2014, 03:43: Message edited by: comet ]
 

---

Posted by Alban (# 9047) on :
 
Not Cassia - a lookalike
Winnie was a favourite great aunt of mine
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Here you go - some of the most popular names from a century ago in the US. You can use the drop-down menu to pick a different decade.

(Some look like misspellings but I don't know whether that's intentional. "Mable" is more usually "Mabel". But you get the gist.)
 

---

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
In Scotland, circa 1900, you would most likely be called Mary, Margaret, Elizabeth, Annie, Jane or Isabella. If you escaped those, it was Jessie, Jeanie or Agnes. Followed by a middling chance of Euphemia or Robina, but relatively low of Emily or Harriet.
 

---

Posted by Gussie (# 12271) on :
 
My mother is a Hazel, her sister was a Pearl. My grandmothers were Margaret(Maggie) and May.

If we'd had a girl she would have been a Lettice (Letty), though I'm also very fond of Edith.
 

---

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
I had a great aunt Ruby. Her sisters were Margaret, Elizabeth (Liz), Davina and Helen (Nell).

I was particularly fond of Aunt Liz, the only person I knew who would give you the choice of tea, coffee, or whisky at 11am. She lived in three centuries, as she was born in 1899 and died in 2001.

ETA - Aunt Ruby lived to 93, in good health and independent until a few weeks before her death.

[ 25. February 2014, 07:13: Message edited by: North East Quine ]
 

---

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I was at school with an Edith, Hester, Audrey, Priscilla and shedloads of Lizzies and Margarets. And a fair number of Janices.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
It is odd to go for a walk and hear someone calling “Archie! Stanley!” and see two small boys then come running up to their mum. I do like the old names coming back, but haven’t noticed any Hildas or a Doris under 60.
 

---

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
My grandma and her sis were named Sybil and Bernice. Grandpa was a Stanley.
 

---

Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on :
 
Elsie. It was my maternal grandmother's name, and I'd love to see it make a comeback. Plus it's got the right ending .
 

---

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
Well for a strong short girl's name with one of those endings then you really could not go wrong with Hilda. Look up the Saint with that name if you do not believe me.

Jengie
 

---

Posted by sophs (# 2296) on :
 
We have problems with boys names. I say we, but I really mean my beloved has a problem with boys names. He thinks they are all either too common or stupid.

I mean all of them. Hours and hours of questioning and reading out boys names to him has resulted in three "I suppose that's ok"'s. Adam, Aaron and Ivan.

Girls names are different. He loves most of them, but doesn't like calling a child one name on paper and another day to day, so my unusual names tha shorten to normal names are no good. I'm currently trying to convince him that Elaine Ursula works, names for his gran and my great grandmother who was disappeared in 1945.

I really wanted to call a child rosalija, for another of my Slovene relatives, and for boys names I like Archie, Albert (albie), Maximilian (maxi), ect and I love most girls names. I'd have liked to call a child marguerite and use daisy, but beloved says no. It's a stupid name.
 

---

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
Phoebe or Chloe; Adeline or Adelaide - all 'hot' when Ruby was in vogue.

May is good in that it can't be truncated.

However, since Ruby is now very popular (also Emily, Chloe, Phoebe, etc) about they look slightly wider and go for something less common, such as:

Lalage is a pretty name that has fallen out of favour.

Carys or Cerys - from the Welsh for love.

Myfanwy - derived from the word meaning beloved.
 

---

Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :
 
I really like Rose - which can be "shortened" to Rosie for a child, but has a dignified feel about it.
Lily is another "flower" name, but it's a bit flightier than "Rose" in my opinion.

As another shortening of Elizabeth I like Libby. My brother's stepdaughters are Libby, Edith (Edie) and Dora (Dorothy) which I used to think were "meh" names but which I have come to like.
 

---

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
I have Views on this, partly due to personal experience.

If I may suggest...

Bear in mind that the child will have to *live* with the name for their whole life. That may well include teasing, bullying, and even hitting on the basis of their name. Continuing into adulthood.

The parents shouldn't indulge themselves. They won't be the ones who have to live with the name.

So

--If you give a child an unusual or awkward name, make it the middle name. And make the first name strong and simple. If the child wants to hide the unusual name, that's easier with the middle one. They may well grow into liking it, but give them the option to hide it.

--Don't do cross-gender names. E.g. actress Michael Lerned had a rough time. All because her dad wanted a boy, and wouldn't give up the chosen name.

--Do the proposed names, or their initials, combine badly with the last name(s)? Famous example: a Texan woman named Ima Hogg. (Seriously.)

--Do the names have a slang meaning?


FWIW.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Golden Key:
--Don't do cross-gender names. E.g. actress Michael Lerned had a rough time. All because her dad wanted a boy, and wouldn't give up the chosen name.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Golden Key:
I have Views on this, partly due to personal experience.

If I may suggest...

Bear in mind that the child will have to *live* with the name for their whole life. That may well include teasing, bullying, and even hitting on the basis of their name. Continuing into adulthood.

The parents shouldn't indulge themselves. They won't be the ones who have to live with the name.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
I'm not sure how the jockey Ruby Walsh got on at school (or why his father decided on that as a name for his son). The wrestler Shirley Crabtree might have chosen a completely different path in life if he hadn't had to live with (I'm guessing here) taunts about Shirley Temple when he was a boy.

---

quote:

---

Bear in mind that the child will have to *live* with the name for their whole life. That may well include teasing, bullying, and even hitting on the basis of their name. Continuing into adulthood.

---

That's true - but the bullies will find some excuse to pick on you if they want to, and with the 'right' attitude they can make fun of anything. The bullies at my school were nasty about my (fairly ordinary) name, for example.

Shirley, Hilary and Evelyn all used to be boys' names... but became exclusively female fairly soon after people started using them for girls.
 

---

Posted by tessaB (# 8533) on :
 
My grandmothers were Lillian Matilda and Isabelle. All lovely names that can be shortened prettily, Lily, Tilly and Bella. Our daughter is Eleanor which we loved as it seemed a strong but pretty name. She now calls herself Elly, also nice.
We didn't think at the time (and luckily no-one else seems to have thought of it) that a common shortening would have been Nora
 

---

Posted by Honest Ron Bacardi (# 38) on :
 
Esme is another boy's name. There is a raft of names like that which have become one-sex names but which are the opposite in other countries, or indeed here historically.

Plus of course some like Lyn which you'll just have to ask about.
 

---

Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :
 
Definitely agree that the last name should be considered in combination with the new name. A friend of mine has always wanted to use the Iona. Unfortunately her partner's last name is Ion (his suggestions are Anne and Cath )
 

---

Posted by seekingsister (# 17707) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
Definitely agree that the last name should be considered in combination with the new name. A friend of mine has always wanted to use the Iona. Unfortunately her partner's last name is Ion (his suggestions are Anne and Cath )

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by North East Quine:
Ruby and Garnet wouldn't work, at least not in the UK, as they are the twins in Jacqueline Wilson's "Double Act."

Ruby and Violet, now, that's a good combination!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by tessaB:
Our daughter is Eleanor which we loved as it seemed a strong but pretty name. She now calls herself Elly, also nice.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
Well, if they want to "match" Ruby, they could go with Pearl or Garnet. Or Violet.

I agree with sophs - boy names are much harder.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by balaam:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
Well, if they want to "match" Ruby, they could go with Pearl or Garnet. Or Violet.

I agree with sophs - boy names are much harder.

---

Jade.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by North East Quine:
Ruby on its own is great, Garnet on its own is fine, but a Ruby / Garnet sibling pair wouldn't work, because of the book. My god-daughter read it last year; Jacqueline Wilson's books are going strong even after 20 years.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:

quote:

---

Originally posted by tessaB:
Our daughter is Eleanor which we loved as it seemed a strong but pretty name. She now calls herself Elly, also nice.

---

My former neighbour's daughter was called Isabelle which was always shortened to Ellie. Her brothers called her Elly Belly.

---

Preach.
Pyx_e called me"Kelly belly smelly jelly" in the cafe once; it was just like being twelve again. Bless his heart.

I have a cousin named Bonnie. Always thought that was pretty. And Lillian was my grandma Bernice's original first name; she went by her middle name because her mother, grandmother, and cousin were also named Lillian. I always dreamed of having a daughter named Lilly.

[ 25. February 2014, 21:08: Message edited by: Kelly Alves ]
 

---

Posted by Tree Bee (# 4033) on :
 
We have 2 sets of girls named Ruby and Pearl in our family. Those names just go together.
I offer you the names of my grandmothers for consideration:
Annie, Amelia, Norah, Eveline.
 

---

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
I've been trying to use the name Ruth on something for some time now.

I initially thought it sounded good as a dog name; not only could it say its own name, the line "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God" sounds like what a happy dog would say to its master. But that got rejected by the Queen of Bashan, who thought that my grandmother (Edna Ruth) might think we were naming the dog after her. (We went with Gladys.)

Ruth has gotten a little more traction as a potential name for any future hypothetical daughter, but not enough to make me think that we will ever realistically use it.

So I'm throwing it out there to the world.

It works as "Ruthie," which would make the DIL happy. And I think it is a simple contrast to a hyphenated last name- it works well for the Supreme Court Justice, at least. And you get a really nice biblical story to go with your name.

What's not to like?
 

---

Posted by Kitten (# 1179) on :
 
What about Martha, Alice or Margery?
 

---

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :
 
If there's any chance she might have red hair, don't choose Ruth as she will forever be known as 'Redruth'. However, other classical/biblical/saint's names such as Felicity, Judith (Judy), Clare, Eleanor, Eva, Martha, Catherine, are acceptable alternatives.

Cecilia would be lovely (especially for a musical family) but Simon and Garfunkel put paid to that one...
 

---

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Chorister:
Cecilia would be lovely (especially for a musical family) but Simon and Garfunkel put paid to that one...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Zacchaeus:
No prophet in the Uk Daisy is the stereotypic name for a cow

---

Is it Betsy in Canada? In the US it's either Bessy or Bossy. "Old Betsy" is a frequent silly nickname for an inanimate object, I think tracing back to David Crockett, who nicknamed his rifle that.
 

---

Posted by SvitlanaV2 (# 16967) on :
 
There have been a few mentioned already, but I'm going to propose some more French names:

Amelie, Coralie, Lucy/Lucie, Magali, Julie, Nat(h)alie, Rosalie, Sophie, Amy (which has French origins)....

And I think more girls should be called Dulcie. Or Kitty.
 

---

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :
 
Dolly is Dolores; Molly is, I think, often used for Margaret (but often on its own), Polly (at least in my family) is a diminutive for variants on Paul (Pauline, Paula, etc)
 

---

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Thanks, all! So far DP has not wowed the kids with her family names, and on my side the female names are generally either too Wagnerian or too biblical to be acceptable.
 

---

Posted by Egeria (# 4517) on :
 
My grandmother Gertrude was the youngest in a big family of sisters (and we have long generations in my family, so I never even met any of the great-aunts). But she had sisters called Pearl, Ruby, and Grace. There was also an Ada somewhere in that family (cf the Queen of Caria who got on so well with Alexander the Great).

Elizabeth is a great name; one always thinks of Queen Elizabeth I. And there are the variants/nicknames: Bess, Beth, and Eliza (we had a guard on the Cal basketball team by that name--the most energetic person I've ever seen, and a big favorite with the fans). I have to say though that to me Betsy doesn't have sufficient gravitas, and neither does Betty or Liz.

When choosing a name one should always consider how it's going to sound after titles: Coach, Captain, Doctor, Professor, or President. Someone called "Kaedynce" is probably going to have to surmount an extra hurdle or two along the way (that's really the name of the granddaughter of a family friend). So really trendy names and "creative" spellings should be avoided. They can make an unfavorable impression on potential employers and they can also date the bearer.

You can check out this web site to see fluctuations in popularity; "Ruby" is now making a bit of comeback, as is "Grace."
http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=&sw=both&exact=false
 

---

Posted by Barnabas Aus (# 15869) on :
 
I have a new granddaughter called Lily - lovely name.

What about some of the lilting Celtic names - like Catriona, Deirdre, Ailsa, Fiona, Caitlin, and so on. Many of them are Gaelic versions of common Anglo-Saxon names, but they sound more musical somehow.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Irish names have a tendency to get well and truly mispronounced, often as spelt, which is depressing. Better to stick with the tried and tested.

If the baby is to be born in March, one potential approach might be a name that begins with "Mar", and there are plenty to choose from - Maria, Margaret, Marian, Martha, Mara, Marjorie - which also satisfy the old-fashioned criteria - and Martina, Marcia, Marcella - and probably quite a lot more I haven't thought of.
 

---

Posted by BessHiggs (# 15176) on :
 
Initials are important too. Hubby's initials are G.A.L., which he hates, and got teased quite a bit about that when he was a kid. My ex, bless his heart, wants to name his first male child Blake Ian George. The poor kid will have to deal with being B.I.G.Higgs.
 

---

Posted by Gussie (# 12271) on :
 
I know of recent babies called Dulcie, Bonnie and Elsie ( short for Elspeth in that case), so they are all names out there on the names radar.
Molly and Polly are both diminutives of Mary, another nice name.
Has anyone mentioned Lucy yet ? Another name considered by us before our son appeared.
 

---

Posted by Edith (# 16978) on :
 
My granny was Emmeline, my friend's granny was Eveline. Dolly can be short for Dorothy which is attractive.

And there's always Evangeline.
 

---

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
TANGENT
The jockey Ruby Walsh isn't an example of a male Ruby - he chose that because, being Irish (from County Kildare) he was teased horribly about his given name of Rupert.

In UK army circles a Rupert is a newly-commissioned wet-behind-the-ears 2nd Lieutenant too...
 

---

Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
Dolly is also for Dorothy. I really like the name Dorothy, but the thing is, this is the thing: when I hear “Dolly”, my mind instantly adds “the sheep”.

(Actually I don’t think I could call a child of mine Dorothy in any case. If everything works out the way I’m expecting it to, my offspring need names that work in English and in French. Anything that either set of grandparents can’t pronounce is right out.)
 

---

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
I've always understood that Patsy is a nickname for Martha.

Moo
 

---

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :
 
The (very few) people I've known called Patsy were Patricias - not that that rules it out as a nickname for Martha.
 

---

Posted by Kitten (# 1179) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Dolly is pretty. So is Molly. What is Molly short for?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Drifting Star:
The (very few) people I've known called Patsy were Patricias - not that that rules it out as a nickname for Martha.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kitten:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Dolly is pretty. So is Molly. What is Molly short for?

---

In my family Molly was short for Maureen

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeteC:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Drifting Star:
The (very few) people I've known called Patsy were Patricias - not that that rules it out as a nickname for Martha.

---

Or Patricks. Yes, really!

In my experience with Dorothys, they are usually Dot or Dottie, not Dolly

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by no prophet:
The only Dottie I've ever heard about was in a movie with Pee Wee Herman. Not a good name. Dotty means crazy here. Like naming a child Nutter or Bozo.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeteC:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Drifting Star:
The (very few) people I've known called Patsy were Patricias - not that that rules it out as a nickname for Martha.

---

Or Patricks. Yes, really!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Chorister:
I know a young child called Tilly (with a 'y'), sounds quite current if short for Matilda, perhaps?

---

I've come across a couple of Tilly's too.And several Ebony's - none of whom were dark, one was a redhead!

Maisie, Nellie, Gertie, Trudy?
 

---

Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
My grandmother and her sisters were Rose, May, Elvina (called Vina) and Lucy. I know a young child Tilly (Matilda) and an Agatha and an Edith.

My own choice for a girl would have been Keziah but I was tempted by Keturah, having met an elderly lady who delighted in her name (but I had a Zadok instead ).
 

---

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 

quote:

---

Indeed, in the 1910's onward for many years, there was a famous cricketer called Patsy Hendren.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kitten:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Dolly is pretty. So is Molly. What is Molly short for?

---

In my family Molly was short for Maureen

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lucia:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kitten:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Dolly is pretty. So is Molly. What is Molly short for?

---

In my family Molly was short for Maureen

---

My Grandmother was called Mollie / Molly. In her case it was a short form for Millicent.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by venbede:
How about Queenie? I knew a young man in the 70s whose mother was Queenie. I believe in late C19 Britain it was common in homage to Queen Victoria.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by anoesis:
...
Trinity, if you're feeling really out there (though I doubt that's an old one coming round again)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by anoesis:
... Then there is Bridie, from Bridget ...

---

There was a Bridie in my class at school (I don't think it was short for Bridget - she was never addressed as anything but Bridie). I found it a bit odd, as where I come from a "bridie" is a kind of sausage roll ...

I've heard it said that if you want to test the "classiness" of a name, say it with a regnal number after it (like Elizabeth the First or Henry the Eighth). If it doesn't sound silly, you're on the right lines.
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Nowadays, you will have to tell people how to pronounce Penelope. Absence of classical literary education means it is connected with stationery and African ungulates. You will also have to stop abbreviation to single syllable writing implements.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
People are probably still familiar enough with the name of the actress Penelope Keith, though the name has probably taken on the image that went with her. You don't find many girls called Felicity either; Felicity Kendal is the only one I've ever heard of.
 

---

Posted by Zacchaeus (# 14454) on :
 
I've come across quite a few Penny's which i always assumed were Penelopes, but none of them used penelope
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I do for formal matters.

Oddly, I have never felt quite properly confirmed, because, without asking, and ignoring the name on my baptismal certificate, I got done as Penny.
 

---

Posted by Amos (# 44) on :
 
InigoB--In your alphabetical list, surely 'Quinn' should be 'Queenie.'

The upper middle class English 'Florences' are now at university: the name's been back in vogue for about 20 years now. The Sophies are in their thirties, many of them--and when I was young, Sophie was a name for great-aunts. There are heaps of Georginas and Georgianas, lots of Lucys and a few Lauras.

Amongst the old-fashioned names sported by little girls of my acquaintance are Theodora, Adelaide, Anastasia, and Mary. There are scads of little Graces and Isobels. There are lots of Rubys, and a fair few Fenellas. There are Violets, Maisies, Zoes, and Daisies, and a Lois or two.

Remembering how unlikely it seemed that there would ever be a new generation of Freds, Alfs, and Archies, I'm happy to bet that the next generation of middle-class kids will rehabilitate Hilda and Gwladys. And after that Doris and Dawn.
 

---

Posted by Net Spinster (# 16058) on :
 
Ruby seems to have been most popular in the US during the 1910s.


I had a great aunts called Camilla, Gloria, and Julia which fit the ending requirement but my great-grandparents did not choose names for popularity at the time.

Looking at the Social Security web site for info on popular baby names in let us say 1915 and paring down a bit (I'm going for two syllable names) and current popularity (top 1000)

Helen - 402 and becoming less popular
Ethel - off the list since 1975
Hazel - 175 in 2012 but was 942 in 1998
Edna - off the list since 1991
Clara - 136 and becoming more popular
Agnes - off the list since 1972

I note Violet is trending up rapidly (89 now but coming out of no where but not so popular there will be 7 in the classroom) but wasn't too common back then but Viola which was about 50 back then (and off the chart now) is similar.

So
Ruby and Hazel
Ruby and Clara
Ruby and Viola
Ruby and Violet

Viola is the main character in Twelfth Night
Clara Barton is the founder of the American Red Cross
 

---

Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
Edie ?
 

---

Posted by Wild Organist (# 12631) on :
 
Not a name ending with an 'a', but certainly congruent with Ruby: Heather. Also, I can't think of an abbreviation for it (not that that would stop some kids trying).
 

---

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
I would guess that Hetty or Heth are both possible abbreviations for Heather.

Actually I think they are doomed to failure if they want something that cannot be abbreviated. In Sixth form I had a friend who was named Zoe for that reason. Her name was abbreviated to Zo or if we were feeling in a generous mood Zozo.

Ruby can be abbreviated to Rube. Equally people have managed to do it with mine, one form of it is the first part of my username. This is despite my actual name being only four letters long.

Jengie

[ 02. March 2014, 12:06: Message edited by: Jengie Jon ]
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Amos:
Remembering how unlikely it seemed that there would ever be a new generation of Freds, Alfs, and Archies, I'm happy to bet that the next generation of middle-class kids will rehabilitate Hilda and Gwladys. And after that Doris and Dawn.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wild Organist:
Not a name ending with an 'a', but certainly congruent with Ruby: Heather. Also, I can't think of an abbreviation for it (not that that would stop some kids trying).

---

My niece Heather , so called as she was born in an ambulance in a lay by in Hethersett, is called Hev. Not by me though.
 

---

Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
Effie - could also be spelled Ephie as it's short for Euphemia, I believe. That could cover either the a or the ie ending.
 

---

Posted by cygnus (# 3294) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Drifting Star:
The (very few) people I've known called Patsy were Patricias - not that that rules it out as a nickname for Martha.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
People are probably still familiar enough with the name of the actress Penelope Keith, though the name has probably taken on the image that went with her. You don't find many girls called Felicity either; Felicity Kendal is the only one I've ever heard of.

---

There was a Penelope (known as Penny) in my class at school, and I used to work with a Felicity, who was known as Felix.
 

---

Posted by Keren-Happuch (# 9818) on :
 
Sian is at least short if you're going to have to keep spelling it out...
 

---

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :
 
My grandma had a lovely name -

Lydia


 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by piglet:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
People are probably still familiar enough with the name of the actress Penelope Keith, though the name has probably taken on the image that went with her. You don't find many girls called Felicity either; Felicity Kendal is the only one I've ever heard of.

---

There was a Penelope (known as Penny) in my class at school, and I used to work with a Felicity, who was known as Felix.

---

I can beat that. In a private school, with a smallish class (14?) there were three of us. All of whose parents had chosen the name because it was uncommon. In a year when Deanna Durbin appeared in a role with that name.
 

---

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
I know of two children called Paris - one male, one female
 

---

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by L'organist:
I know of two children called Paris - one male, one female

---

I don't quite understand the . Paris has been a gender-neutral name for a long time.
 

---

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Boogie:
My grandma had a lovely name -

Lydia

---

A lovely name indeed. I work with a 25 year old who has it, so I hope it's making a comeback. My grandmothers were Mary and Alice and I have a cousin once removed who is Alice. I think if I'd called my daughter that I'd be constantly singing "Living Next Door To Alice" to her and to myself.

I was at school with several Felicitys, who were mostly called Fliss. I do find it interesting how what used to be shortenings are now names in their own right. I know a Jenny who is not Jennifer and of course these days no Jack is really John, nor Harry Henry.

I always thought Hetty was short for Henrietta - there's a lovely name you don't hear these days. I think Tabitha is lovely too, though I guess you'd go through life as Tabbie.

Nen - Alice? Who the heck is Alice...?
 

---

Posted by Zacchaeus (# 14454) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by L'organist:
I know of two children called Paris - one male, one female

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Nenya:
I always thought Hetty was short for Henrietta - there's a lovely name you don't hear these days. I think Tabitha is lovely too, though I guess you'd go through life as Tabbie.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
I've yet to meet a Heather who suited the name. But that might be a subject for another thread.

---

It would be an interesting discussion, though very subjective of course. The first Heather I ever knew had a very distinctive look and was, shall we say, not the brightest bulb on the chandelier. Any Heather who doesn't fit that description is just not a proper Heather.

I've never heard of Tabea. How do you pronounce it?

Nen - whose online and real life names are both straightforward to pronounce.
 

---

Posted by IngoB (# 8700) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Amos:
InigoB--In your alphabetical list, surely 'Quinn' should be 'Queenie.'

---

quote:

---

Paris has been a gender-neutral name for a long time.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by L'organist:
posted by Jade Constable

quote:

---

Paris has been a gender-neutral name for a long time.

---

Err, no.

Paris has been used for girls by parents with no understanding of the origin of the name.

Doubt it? Just ask a Greek.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by L'organist:
The Iliad is written in Homeric Greek - not Trojan...

---

quote:

---

'Quinn' is apparently a valid female name. Though I have to admit I don't know how far back it has been that.

---

quote:

---

How and why names migrate between genders would be an interesting study. I have a suspicion that it is always a male to female transition. Anyone think of any instances going the other way?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by North East Quine:
I cannot imagine why any parent would give a girl a name which could so easily be misread as "quim. "

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by North East Quine:
I cannot imagine why any parent would give a girl a name which could so easily be misread as "quim. "

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by LutheranChik:
We got a call from the kids this weekend asking DP to re-explain her ethnic heritage (Irish, Welsh and English by way of Canada)...so we may be seeing a tilt toward Celtic or Anglo-Saxon names; as long as the spellings aren't too strange (Siobhan -- pretty name, impossible spelling to try and explain to teachers, peers, etc.).

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by North East Quine:
I cannot imagine why any parent would give a girl a name which could so easily be misread as "quim. "

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by IngoB:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Amos:
InigoB--In your alphabetical list, surely 'Quinn' should be 'Queenie.'

---

Nope, 'Quinn' is apparently a valid female name. Though I have to admit I don't know how far back it has been that. Frankly, I find 'Queenie" ridiculous and I couldn't find anything else female starting with a 'Q' that wasn't Arabic...

Of my suggestions, I like 'Mabel' best. Though I would probably fancy that up and have the full 'Amabel' as the official first name - which is poetic sounding (pronounced AM-a-bell) - and then use the comfy abbreviation 'Mabel' in the everyday.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by IngoB:

quote:

---

Originally posted by North East Quine:
I cannot imagine why any parent would give a girl a name which could so easily be misread as "quim. "

---

Perhaps because they live or are from somewhere else than the UK? (I had to look this up. The Ship is always educational...)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Amos:
You wouldn't have found Queenie Leavis ridiculous. You'd have found her terrifying.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by IngoB:
Frankly, I find 'Queenie" ridiculous and I couldn't find anything else female starting with a 'Q' that wasn't Arabic...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Last time I heard it uttered was by the character of Loki in Avengers Assemble - so possibly not generally understood in certain airts

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by IngoB:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Amos:
InigoB--In your alphabetical list, surely 'Quinn' should be 'Queenie.'

---

Nope, 'Quinn' is apparently a valid female name. Though I have to admit I don't know how far back it has been that. Frankly, I find 'Queenie" ridiculous and I couldn't find anything else female starting with a 'Q' that wasn't Arabic...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by IngoB:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Last time I heard it uttered was by the character of Loki in Avengers Assemble - so possibly not generally understood in certain airts

---

Here, towards the end... well, if it's in a Hollywood movie, then presumably it's known in the USA as well. Sorry, it's probably just me, I'm not a native speaker after all. (That movie also had the best ... practical ... comment on sub-Creator gods ever: here. LOL.)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rev per Minute:
I'm not sure how much control Tom Hiddleston (who played Loki) had over the script, but his use of the phrase "mewling quim" was described by him as a Shakespearean insult. I think he was pleased to get the comment past the editors, so perhaps it's not a word generally known in the States.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by North East Quine:
A lot of the Scottish "mother's maiden name" names, which were unisex or possibly tended towards female, are now unambiguously male. I know of instances of women called Scott, Bruce, Innes and Graham; all are unisex male names now.

---

Just to be a pain in the arse (or ass, depending on provenance), I know a woman whose given name is Innes...
 

---

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Near enough to Inez to pass, I would have thought.
 

---

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
Inez is supposedly Spanish for Agnes!
 

---

Posted by Wild Organist (# 12631) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by LutheranChik:


Player Yet To Be Named is a girl. We know that. The parents have requested name suggestions that 1)are old-fashioned, and specifically popular at roughly the same time in history as the name Ruby, who is Grandchild #1; 2)are, quote, "assertive" but still girly -- I think "a" and "y"/"ie" endings are favored by DiL; and 3)are not too cumbersome to combine with a hyphenated last name.

All requests appreciated. We've already sent the kids a list of suggestions, but apparently they want a bigger pool to choose from.

And again, for anyone else whose family is expecting, please join in with your name requests.

---

I hope we're going to be told the result when eventually this little one appears

 

---

Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on :
 
Our niece recently produced a Sigrid. Perhaps not very 'girlie' but it surely has an assertive sound to it. Everyone likes it.

One of our daughters has a cat called Olivetti, but somehow, I can't see that working for a baby, or for the girl who inevitably follows.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Olivetta might be an option, or Olivette for a French ending. It could even be shortened to Ivette instead of Olly.

(And if you had twins, you could save money by calling both of them Olivette, and have the Olly and the Ivy.)
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 


"Olivetti" - why would you name your daughter after a typewriter?*


* Yes - I really AM that old.
 

---

Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on :
 
Just read of the sad death of Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson Wright. I wonder if any new babies will be named in her honour.
 

---

Posted by Gussie (# 12271) on :
 
Trilby - now there's a good name.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
This has been bugging me for a while. Why did they give her 11 first names? If she'd been a boy you could see that maybe they'd wanted to honour their favourite football team. If she'd had 12 first names she could have used a different one each month. But 11 is just odd.
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I had a Catholic teacher who was Monique Clare Isabel Agnes Bernadette surname. Clarissa was Catholic - but not all her names are saints. Perhaps they were significant relations.

[ 20. March 2014, 19:02: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Mother, 2 grannies, godmother and a couple of aunts, all with more than one Christian name?

Can you imagine what a nightmare it must have been to fill in official forms?

No wonder the poor lady sought solace in GIN.

Sorry - cross-posted with Penny.

[ 20. March 2014, 19:06: Message edited by: piglet ]
 

---

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
This has been bugging me for a while. Why did they give her 11 first names? If she'd been a boy you could see that maybe they'd wanted to honour their favourite football team. If she'd had 12 first names she could have used a different one each month. But 11 is just odd.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
Clarissa was Catholic - but not all her names are saints.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
Well, she obviously wasn't named after a rugby team.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
Clarissa was Catholic - but not all her names are saints.

---

Wot! You never heard of St Trilby, patron saint of headgear?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Zacchaeus:
This is what t'internet says

'Her parents apparently had great trouble deciding on a first name, eventually blindfolding her mother, Molly, and "turning her loose in the library". She pulled out Clarissa, the 1748 novel by Samuel Richardson. Dickson Wright said she believed her parents were then "so delighted that they'd finally found a name, they got pissed on the way to the church'

---

Just as well her ma didn't grab Robinson Crusoe.
 

---

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Very lucky indeed for Clarissa. There is a Supreme Court judge here, who rejoices in the given names of Robertson Weeks; the man with three surnames.
 

---

Posted by sophs (# 2296) on :
 
Unless it's shy we will find out the gender tomorrow. Which is good as dh has now decided he hoes t like the girls name we had .

I really liked Elaine Ursula.
 

---

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
Sometimes the parents decide not to go with the crowd's choice.
 

---

Posted by IngoB (# 8700) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
Sometimes the parents decide not to go with the crowd's choice.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by IngoB:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
Sometimes the parents decide not to go with the crowd's choice.

---

Cthulha Le-Dash-A? It certainly has a ring to it...

I the Netherlands, it was apparently a tradition among Catholics to give a lot of (saintly) first names. There are quite a few Dutch people with 4+ names. However, I was always a bit curious about their lack of playfulness in doing so. I never saw anything like

Lydia Olivia Vivian Edith

or

Christian Oliver Oscar Leon

or

Richard Orlando Charles Kurt
with his two sisters
Nadine
and
Rachel Olga Laetitia Leila

An opportunity missed, surely?

---

quote:

---

I the Netherlands, it was apparently a tradition among Catholics to give a lot of (saintly) first names. There are quite a few Dutch people with 4+ names. However, I was always a bit curious about their lack of playfulness in doing so. I never saw anything like

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:

One of our daughters has a cat called Olivetti, but somehow, I can't see that working for a baby, or for the girl who inevitably follows.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by sophs:
Unless it's shy we will find out the gender tomorrow. Which is good as dh has now decided he hoes t like the girls name we had .

I really liked Elaine Ursula.

---

And was s/he shy?

 

---

© Ship of Fools 2016


UBB.classic^TM 6.5.0